Sergeant Dulcesimo H. Habal, United States Army, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy. During this time, he was serving with Headquarters Company, 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, U.S. Army in action against enemy forces on 9 January 1942.

This took place in the vicinity of Samal, Bataan, Philippine Islands. Sergeant Habal was in charge of transmitting information on enemy action to his Philippine Scouts Headquarters. His unit’s position was jeopardized by a strong enemy advance and was ordered to withdraw. He remained behind to transmit critical information on enemy strength and location. He then withdrew to rejoin his unit, carrying radio equipment across four (4) kilometers of open country through enemy fire and across three (3) deep river fords.

Surviving the Bataan Death March:
During the sixty (60) mile Bataan Death March that killed more than ten thousand (10,000) POW’s, Sergeant Habal managed to escape and fight alongside the region’s guerrilla fighters for the next two (2) years until the war ended. He was listed as missing in action (MIA) the entire time and assumed dead in an enemy internment camp. During the march, many were killed with the bayonets of the Japanese soldiers if they could not walk or could not walk fast enough.

Sergeant Habal’s intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the Military Forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, General Orders No. 39 (1942).

• Action Date: 9 January 1942.
  •’Service: U.S. Army.
• Rank: Sergeant.
• Company: Headquarters Company.
• Regiment: 57th Infantry Regiment.
• Division: Philippine Scouts

Personal Information:
Dulcesimo Habal, a Filipino American Hero of World War II earned the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the U.S. Army’s second-highest medal for heroism. He alerted half a million sleeping members of the resistance from the invading Japanese.

Habal retired from the Army as a Major in 1965 and passed away on August 6th, 2000. He was born in 1914 at Casiguran in the Philippines long before the archipelago was granted Independence. In 1935, Habal joined the Philippine Scouts, an elite fighting unit under U.S. Army command. By the time the war broke out, he was a Sergeant working as a Radio Operator.

Although his company had retreated from the invading Japanese, Habal and his Radio remained behind enemy lines. On his heroic day in January 1942, he forded three (3) rivers where bridges had been blown up and frequently heard gunfire. But he was able to Radio his warning to his comrades.
“HONOR, RESPECT AND RECOGNITION!!!”

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